Sunday, November 30, 2008

You know, I figure I better do an "about me" post because I think it makes my blog look prettier and also because I like the idea of an official bio-like thing.

Etymology:Before I was born, my parents went back and forth on names to give me. They were dead-set on Ana Carolina until my dad jokingly suggested “Stéphanie” as a name they’d never give me. My brother and sister, twelve and fourteen respectively at the time, loved the name, and secretly my parents did, too.

And so, here we are now:

'Ello, my name is Stéph(anie, though use your discretion with that suffix). I'm fourteen fifteen and a first second year collegiate student—that is, a sophomore junior—at a freakin' hard prep school. I also hold a full time job at Party, Adolescent Indiscretions and Sarcasm, Inc. This might explain why my parents sometimes find it hard to like me.

Random Facts / FAQ About Me:

I go through periods in which I hate chocolate and others where I can't get enough.

My best friends are people I've never met before. I move around a lot and keeping contact with internet friends is easier than with my phyisical friends. I guess because it's always the same distance, no matter where you are, with them.

In a perfect world, I'd be an underpaid, overworked children's book editor (I even know which publisher and imprint I want, but I'll reserve that info).

Also, in a perfect world, my required minimum grade would be a bit lower so I could have more leeway before I get into lose-scholarship territory at Le Prep School.

My room is in an undefinable state of chaos as we speak.

My favorite word is: twinkle.

I AM PRO-UNICORN.

Qs From the Comments Section: (If you have any, add on and I'll answer. They can be random, silly, or serious, I don't care. :P)

Anon asks: You have a sister?Yup. It comes as a shock to most people because I rarely ever bring her up, even in real life.

Emily asks:Do you like going to prep school?I love it. Some people are gifted at sports, others at instruments, so on so forth. I don't have any huge, prominent talent (in fact, I don't know if I even have a talent), but I've always done well in school even without studying so I like it. It means I'm useful for something!

Taren asks:I thought you were named after Princess Stephanie? Yup, I am! That's where my dad got the name :) My pronunciation is the same as hers, too. Rarely anyone ever gets it right but I don't mind.

Khy asks:Why haven't you mentioned your love for John Green in this post?I thought it went without saying that my lust (and love *angelic face*) for him is stronger than, like, Edward Cullen. Stronger than all of the Cullens combined, even. (HEY JOHN? I ALSO THINK YOU'RE PRETTIER THAN RPATTZ.) It's an all-consuming thing, this obsession of mine.

Another Anon asks:1.Is your school co-ed?'Tis, but I'll let you in on something: The guys at my prep school are not the hunks YA fiction will have you believe they are. Some upperclassmen are actually hot, though, but they either go for the slutty types or their head is so far up their ass, it becomes quite the phenomenom.

2. Aside from the lack of American books do you enjoy living outside the U.S.?I do! Before I moved here, when I lived in Houston, I never wanted to leave there. But I guess that last move broke any sort of permanent feelings I had toward living someplace, and now I just want to travel the world. The US is a great place to live, but I want to explore other cultures, become fluent in more languages than I am now, and get to know what else is out there. The concept of diversity hands-down rules.

3. Is your boarding school more like the one described in Prep (lonely) or the one described in Looking for Alaska (friendships, deep thought)?Oh, I should've been more clear - I go to a prep school, but it's not a boarding school. It's just a regular school with a greater focus in preparing us for university entrance exams. (The uni acceptance process here is much, much different than it is in the US, where you apply.)

4. You mention you've moved a lot. Where is the one place you wish you had stayed and why?I wish I'd stayed in Houston, TX. Like I said above, after this last move I was pretty heartbroken and don't think of any place as "home" anymore. I wish I still had that, even if it meant I wouldn't have any interest in traveling around.

One more Anon! asks: a) Does living in a foreign country give you the added confidence of "I don't have to answer to these people, since I am not one of them?" Or, does it impede your personality, trying to fit in?Actually, I'm back to my home country. I was born in another state (we'll call it A), moved to the US (B) when I was 8, and moved back to my home country, albeit a different state (C) when I was 13. That said, I definitely feel like an outsider because I was just brought up with a mix of values - Americans ones at school in the US, my native country's at home.

b) Are most of the students at your prep school also Americans? If so, is there less of a "clique factor" since you are all stuck in a land not your "own" so to speak?No, there'll all native. We have a huge Japanese colony 'round these parts, though, which means there's also their culture to factor in. It's all very confusing. About cliques - we don't really have much of that here, at least not like it is in the US. And I've always been a bit of a social butterfly, so I pretty much get along with everyone and don't belong to any group.

c) What, if anything, do you miss most about not being in the U.S.? Food, movies, etc...I lived in Texas, so we had a lot of Mexican food. People here have no idea what tacos are! It blows my mind how anyone can live their entire life not knowing how amazing quesadillas, tacos, nachos, enchiladas, burritos, etc, are. I'm not talking about Taco Bell food, either (though my fave fast food place is that) - I'm talking straight Mexican cuisine. Spicy and delicious <3>

I wanted to name my sister Rainbow Bright or Sarah but at the time I was six so I didn't get a say in the matter (even though I basically begged for a sister). Your class load is more than twice what mine was in high school, would love to hear more about your Art History class (I wish I had had a minor in that!) And high-five for unicorns!

For name stories: I wanted to name my sister Dorothy (I was four years old and obsessed with The Wizard of Oz). When my parents finally had a talk with me, telling me that we were NOT going to name her Dorothy, I was distraught, until I had a bright idea and suggested that we name her The Scarecrow. No such luck.

Yay for career goals! I'm currently a freelance editor. Haven't tried my hand at editing children's books, yet, but there are some people in this town who are eager for me to take a look at their books before they send them off to an agent or publisher. Before I started grad school, I wanted to move to NYC and get an editing position with the YA/Teen division at Little, Brown & Co. Then I fell in love and decided to move to Canada instead. The publishing world is way different here.

Mmmmm... John Green... whoever doesn't have that lust, I mean, love for such an incredible author should have their motherboard examined. But, horrible compy references aside, I like this "about me" post. I think we've all been a little bit interested in the person behind the "X".

Alterior motive for this comment as well. We've moved back to the Maelstrom after much deliberation and legal banter. And we're back with a contest! w000! Sorry to spam, but this is our first one (squeeee/happy dance)

We're still in the process of transferring the blog roll, so don't be concerned if you're not up there right off the bat. Mkay. I think that covers it.

Yes, um, Steph, you are very, very pretty. I'm guessing that your name doesn't matter that awful much: Steph, Ana Carolina, mud... with a face this fantastic, people might just as well call you Goddess and get it over with. BTW, I'm not a dirty old man, but a girl (just so you don't have to be icked out). :)

For some reason I've always pictured you as looking more bookish. Chunky glasses. Cardigan sweaters.

So, let's see, some questions, if I may:

1. Is your school co-ed?2. Aside from the lack of American books do you enjoy living outside the U.S.?3. Is your boarding school more like the one described in Prep (lonely) or the one described in Looking for Alaska (friendships, deep thought)?4. You mention you've moved a lot. Where is the one place you wish you had stayed and why?

And the two anons right above me - you guys are making me blush! You know, I've heard so many different versions of what I'm supposed to look like - blonde and blue eyed (what?), bookish (like you, Another Anon, said!), redheaded, freckled, glasses, etc etc etc that I was like, wait, hold up! Let me post a picture proper! I wanted to pick one where I actually smiled but I've never used this one before anywhere so, hey, why not. And now I'm flattered. You guys are too kind - thanks!

Aw, that makes me sad that you don't have anywhere that feels like home. Just coming home after a day at school, once I hit the exit ramp for my town, I breathe a sigh of relief and happiness to be home again. I wish you had that. :(

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Hey! For some reason, this embedded comment form makes most people click twice before the comment is processed and published. It's not you - it's just that it's a new Blogger feature with kinks and all that. (But I adore it and don't wanna get rid of it!) I removed Captcha to make the process easier. You don't have to rewrite the comments twice; just click on SUBMIT twice and it should work. If not, email me. Thanks! -Steph